The Greatest Barrier To Church Reform

As our families go, so go our churches. I am convinced of this more than ever. To deny this fact is not only silly, it's irresponsible. Yet, even this week, I was confronted by the thoughts of a youth ministry educator who patently denied that equipping parents is the corrective for students dropping out of churches. When I hear such sentiments it really clarifies why so many of our young student ministry leaders are poorly informed. I, however, will save that discussion for a later time.

I think I have come up with a theory why its is so difficult for churches to change the way they approach student ministry, and ministry in general for that matter. The reason is not Biblical per se, it is cultural. We have allowed the culture to shape how we do family and church so much that things that were expected in previous generations are foreign and novel to us today. For instance, consider the practice of family worship.

There was a time when it would have been an embarrassment for a father to forsake the regular reading of God's word, praying, and worshipping in his home with his family. Somewhere along the line a lie crept into the minds of our parents (dad's in particular) that they didn't need to do that because, after all, that was what they paid the youth pastor to do. This led to youth pastors having to take on responsibilities that were never meant to be theirs and has landed us right in the middle of the youth drop-out crisis we are in today. The hard part of fixing this problem is that for reform to occur, it is going to require changing the cultural mindset of both families and pastors and its going to have to start with pastors. This is where it gets tricky.

I admire the honesty and integrity of men who follow God's call to be pastors. It's not a job for the faint of heart. Yet, if they are not willing to change the culture of their own homes, then there is no point expecting the youth pastors and much less the parents in their churches to do the same. At some point, some radical is going to have to stand in his pulpit and say, "I don't care if it costs me my ministry and my livelihood, I am going to put my family first and take the leadership for seeing my children are discipled." This is not easy.

Please keep in mind, I am not saying that churches should do away with student ministry. Far from it. I think the need for student ministry is greater than ever. The focus of student ministry, however, has to be equipping parents to do what God has called them to do and then coming alongside them to hold them accountable and to help them. This is also not easy.

Yes, I believe the greatest barrier to real church reform is a wrong cultural idea of what families and churches are supposed to be like. If somehow this stony ground can be plowed, then maybe we can begin to see God sow some seeds that will result in a great spiritual harvest. What is at stake is not trivial it is a matter of life and death at least that was Moses opinion...

[Moses] said to them, "Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life."
- Deuteronomy 32:46-47a